Health Improvements Associated With Plants And Gardening

Positively impact your health and that of the environment this Earth Day and everyday through caring for plants. Create new plants by rearing seeds to seedlings and through the practice of propagation. You can also buy or adopt established plants to elevate any space with their presence. These beautiful organisms bring aesthetic enhancements to offices, living rooms, shops, hotels and more! Add beauty and health benefits to your life and your spaces with the implementation of more greenery.

“Gardens and gardening can improve the health and well-being for people with a range of health and social needs. The benefits of gardens and gardening could be used as a ‘social prescription’ globally, for people with long-term conditions,” as mentioned in this NIH article. Gardening has been proven to increase health and recovery markers of chronic ailments including cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disorders.

The presence of plants in our immediate environment can greatly improve air quality via photosynthesis processes. By absorbing gasses and chemicals from the air around them through their leaves’ stomata, commonly explained as a plant's pores, plants are able to convert air contaminants that can be harmful to humans and pets to beneficial resources for the plant to then utilize for energy and other necessities.

The most frequent of conversions is the uptake of carbon dioxide and conversion to and release of oxygen. A waste by-product of humans and mammalian pets released through our exhalations can increase the vitality of the plants surrounding us and the same can be said for our carbon dioxide releases to plants. This dynamic creates a symbiotic relationship between plants and mammals. Not only is our air and respiratory health improved by the presence of plants, they have a positive effect on human psychology and mood management as well.

According to NIH’s National Library of Medicine, “Interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults.” Although the American Psychology Association has published several studies that support the claim of young adults having the highest rates of detrimental stress, all humans can benefit from better stress management. Especially with the chronic stress our entire planet endured during the unknowns of COVID-19 and its effects on global economies, social interaction and sense of safety and wellbeing, stress reductions through the practice of gardening may be even more essential for all of us.

Not only are we able to positively affect the health of the Earth and the environment by adding beneficial organisms to our ecosystem, our own personal health can greatly benefit from the presence and care of plants as well! When we are healthy and well, we are better able to show up for our loved ones, our work and all that life offers us. Contribute to the environment and take a step towards better health by planting seeds and or caring for plants this Earth Day and always.